Professional Development

Resources for Developing Environmental Knowledge

Professional Development

Our professional development collections are designed to provide educators with the resources necessary to become knowledgeable on locally relevant environmental topics. The resources are intended to accompany our Curriculum Collections, but can be explored independently. These collections are designed to grow and adapt. We will be adding new topics and resources as they become available. Please explore. Share. Stay curious.

Do you have a suggestion that you think would improve our professional development resources? Do you see something that needs to be updated or changed? Email us at education@scienceforourcoast.org.

Source: Climate change, migration and displacement - Report from ODI, UNDP

Climate Change and Migration

As coastal communities are faced with the reality of the effects of climate change they must grapple with tough decisions. With these resources, you can learn more about the real-world consequences of sea-level rise on communities such as Isle de Jean Charles.

Coastal Land Loss

Coastal land is rapidly increasing at great cost to the well-being of local and global communities. With these resources, you can learn more about the impact of coastal land loss as well as what is being done to prevent it.

A bumblebee on milkweed on a Pepco ROW in Maryland.

Development and the Wetlands

As communities grow and prosper they require additional space, but what does this mean for the wetlands that border these urban areas? With these resources, you can learn more about stakeholder perspectives, the consequences of the loss of wetlands, and possible alternatives to the destruction of these valuable resources.

Marine Debris

When land-based litter and debris makes its way to local waterways, the impacts can include decreased water quality, entanglement of marine life, ingestion by marine life, and leaching of dangerous checmicals into the water. With these resources, you can learn more about marine debris pathways, garbage patches, and mitigation projects.

Marsh Restoration

Urban landscapes often sacrifice wild spaces. New Orleans was built on what was once cypress swamp and marsh. With these resources, you can learn more about various urban marsh restoration projects and explore different methods to get students involved in researching and designing their own.

Microplastics and Waterways

Plastic seems to be an unavoidable part of our daily lives, and recycling attempts to address some of the issues this creates. However, it is often what we cannot see that can cause unexpected damage. With these resources, you can learn more about the origin of microplastics, where we find them, and alternatives to plastic that could help curb this tide of microscopic fragments.

A bass fisherman casts for fish in the Toxic Blue Green Algae in the Copco Reservoir in Northern California.
(Source: Aurora Photos/Alamy)

Water Pollution

When we test water and find contaminants, can we always know the source of the pollution? Point versus nonpoint source pollution, what does that mean? With these resources, you can learn more about water pollution and learn how to help students identify sources to solve pollution mysteries.

Harmful algae of the coast of Texas. (Source: NOAA)

Water Quality

Is the water safe? What do we mean by safe? What are we looking for and how do we find it? With these resources, you can learn more about a variety of methods for teaching students about water quality, what they can discover about the health of our estuary, and how this affects our ability to swim in Lake Pontchartrain.